A phone sees an ordinary QR code. Every module is still dark or light, just painted in a color from your picture, so the camera reads it like a black and white code.

The data is not changed to draw the picture, so error correction is still there to cover scuffs and glare. It works with any content: a link, Wi-Fi details or a contact card.

• Packaging where the product photo is the code.
• A poster, flyer or invitation that looks designed rather than stamped.
• A shop window or menu code that matches the artwork around it.

• Print bigger than a plain code: at least 3 cm (1.2 in), more for anything read from across a room.
• Pictures with clear light and dark areas work best. Flat, mid-gray pictures give the code less to work with.
• Use Tiles for codes scanned from a distance and Halftone when the picture matters more.

• Wait for the scan badge to say “Scans reliably”. “Fragile” means it may fail in print or on a poor camera.
• If it is fragile, raise the Mosaic contrast first.
• Do not shrink the downloaded file in a design tool; download a larger size instead.
• Print a test copy and scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone before printing a batch.

Your picture is read by your browser, reduced to one color per module and forgotten when you close the tab. It is never uploaded, and saved style templates leave it out.